Thursday, January 20, 2005

3 Japanese Macaques given lethal injections for harming humans

Three Japanese Macaques, a monkey native to Japan and a protected species, have been given lethal injections following attacks on people in Wakinosawa village, Aomori Prefecture, informed sources said Thursday.

The local authorities caught four monkeys, of whom three were killed, under the prefecture's protection and management law, which allows protected species to be captured and killed should they cause serious harm to humans, the sources said. It is the first time Japanese Macaques have been killed under the law.